


You Can't Fool Me

by HamishHolmes



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Fluff, Friendship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-09
Updated: 2015-11-09
Packaged: 2018-04-30 20:18:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5178299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HamishHolmes/pseuds/HamishHolmes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jim feels lonely in the depths of space.</p>
            </blockquote>





	You Can't Fool Me

Captain Kirk looked out into space, a dark night punctured by diamond stars and ruby planets. He took a deep breath, letting it out in a rush of air. His neck twinged every time he moved his head, his back ached and even his legs felt old and bruised. He looked out into the deep blackness and saw what he always saw: an exciting universe that he couldn’t wait to see. But right now, he couldn’t wait to see some food, so, leaving the bridge to Sulu, Chekov and Spock, he headed off for the night. 

He meandered along the hallways, greeting his crew with his ever present enthusiasm. Eventually, after stopping to fix no less than three problems, he made it to the canteen. It was silent, only the hum of the Enterprise in the background. He flipped over the counter and began to look around. He wasn’t looking for the nice food that they’d picked up on their last planetary stop, just the replicator. He wasn’t going to mess with the chefs on this thing … again. The opal black machine winked teasingly in the starlight. He pressed a series of buttons, hoping that the replicated food would satisfy his cravings and hoping the machine wouldn’t blow up and take his head with it. A cheese pasty arrived steaming on the silver plate and he pulled it out, burning his hand in the process. 

He curse loudly at the room and then bit into the pasty, savouring the taste of home. He missed the academy. He missed the quiet nights in with Bones, eating microwave food. He missed all night cram sessions with mountains of coffee to keep them awake. He sat down, back against the wall and pasty in his hands. He closed his eyes, suddenly emotional.

 _How has it come to this?_ He asked himself, _when did he become an idiot crying over a pasty?_

He was crying, really, for a little boy, abandoned on the planet with an abusive stepdad as his mother careered around the universe. He was crying for the little boy, who realised that every time his mum came home, she was less of his mum and more of a stranger until one day he barely recognised her. He was crying for the young man who had finally found a family. A family who deserved more than a man crying over a damn pasty.

In fact, he was crying loudly, sobbing, when the door hissed open. He hiccoughed into a slow silence.

“Jim?” came a familiar southern drawl, so worried that tears sprang again to his eyes. Until the academy, no one had ever been worried about him before, “Jim, where are you?”

Jim stayed silent, not wanting to admit that he was there, tears trailing down his face, one hand burned and the other holding a slowly steaming pasty.

“I know you’re here.”

Jim didn’t move or speak. He just stayed still, breathing slowly through his mouth. He stayed so still he didn’t even open his eyes, which is why he didn’t notice Bones had found him until the man flipped over the counter to land beside him. His emerald eyes shone and the sapphire sleeves of his medical uniform showed off his forearms perfectly.

“What are you doing, Jim?”

“Nothing.”

“You are a terrible liar.”

“Uh hu.”

“Seriously, Jim, you’re hiding in the dark with a pasty and crying. I’m not a fool.”

“I’m fine.”

Leonard came around until he was crouching in front of Jim.

“Look, I know you’re having a rough time right now and you probably don’t want to talk to me, but I was wondering if tomorrow night, you might want to come to my quarters and have some replicated food and a movie or something.”

Bones’ voice trailed away and he stood, “well, anyway.”

He climbed back over the bar, grabbing a beer as he went.

“Bones.”

He stopped and turned.

“Yeah, kid?”

“I’m sorry.”

“What for?”

“For being such an awful captain and an awful friend.”

“I’ll store that apology for when either of those things are true.”

“They’re true now.”

“You are the finest damn captain to ever command the Enterprise, Pike included. And you’re a better friend than you are captain!”  
Bones’ voice brooked no argument, so instead, Jim stood, smiling.

“We could do movie night tonight, instead, if you’re not too busy.”

“I’m never too busy, unless you make it that way by diving head first into some crazy scheme.”


End file.
